Known as "The Great Gambo"[1] and "The Professor of Pop",[2] Gambaccini was a BBC Radio 1 presenter for 16 years, including 11 years at the helm of a Billboard Top 30 countdown show. A regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's long-running arts programme Kaleidoscope, Gambaccini was a long-time TV morning show correspondent for British television, and makes regular appearances on other British TV magazine shows. He was the host of the 12-part Classic FM series Paul Gambaccini's Hall of Heroes, and chaired the Radio 4 music quiz Counterpoint until 2013, when he was temporarily replaced by Russell Davies. Gambaccini returned to hosting Counterpoint in November 2014. Inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame in 2005, Gambaccini is the author of more than 15 books.

Gambaccini's broadcasting career began at Dartmouth College, where he was music director of WDCR-AM, a former student-operated Top 40 radio station. Gambaccini may have first achieved wider prominence when his tips for playlisted songs likely to see greater chart action were published in the 11 May 1968 issue of the international trade publication Billboard, alongside similar tips from radio programming talent at major commercial stations across the United States.[4]

Having left Oxford, Gambaccini was considering further study in law at Harvard or Yale but had the opportunity of writing for Rolling Stone magazine as British correspondent.[3] He attributes his broadcasting career to this post—especially an interview in 1973 with Elton John which brought him to the attention of BBC Radio producer John Walters who arranged for him to present on BBC Radio 1.[5]

Gambaccini then started broadcasting in the UK on BBC Radio 1 September 1973, which he did for 13 years, first as a music reporter on the John Peel Saturday show, Rockspeak. He started his own U.S. chart show on 27 September 1975. He was the presenter of the Billboard US Top 30 singles chart in the UK every Saturday afternoon till 1986, when he moved to independent radio. In 1990 he returned to Radio 1 but was removed by controller Matthew Bannister in 1993.

In 1992, Gambaccini became a founding presenter on the UK's classical music station Classic FM, where he presented the weekly Classical CD Chart show. He left for BBC Radio 3 in 1995, where he presented an hour-long morning programme, in a slot formerly used for Composer of the Week. Gambaccini increased the audience share[citation needed], but came under attack as an example of the reforms that the Radio 3 Controller Nicholas Kenyon was trying to introduce but which did not go down well with the existing audience. Some listeners welcomed his presence, according to Kenyon,[citation needed] as their musical tastes had developed from Radio 1's content. He returned to Classic FM in 1997.

Alongside his work in music radio, he contributed regularly to BBC Radio 4's long-running arts programme Kaleidoscope.

In 1998, he joined BBC Radio 2. His first show was on 18 April 1998, once again opening the first of his weekly shows America's Greatest Hits with "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen. In 2002, he quit his role at Classic FM, to present a weekly chart show on London's Jazz FM until 2004. He was also a contributor to the London station LBC when it was taken over by Chrysalis.

In August 2008, Gambaccini returned to Classic FM, to present a 12-part series Paul Gambaccini's Hall of Heroes on Sunday evenings between 9 pm and 10 pm. In March 2008, he took over as chairman of the Radio 4 music quiz Counterpoint from Edward Seckerson but was replaced in 2013 by Russell Davies. He returned to Radio 2 with America's Greatest Hits on 15 November 2014.

Gambaccini was co-author of The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles and related titles, with Tim and Jo Rice, alongside Radio 1 colleague at that time, Mike Read, between 1977 and 1996. Gambaccini's own books include Love Letters, Radio Boy, Top 100 Albums and Track Records. The Ultimate Man, a musical about a comic book superhero, was co-written with Alastair King and Jane Edith Wilson, and produced at the Bridewell Theatre in London in 2000.[7]

Gambaccini has always been openly gay, asserting in 2013: "I was never 'in'."[12] In June 2012, he entered into a civil partnership.[13] In 2013, he married Christopher Sherwood, in New York Botanical Garden.[14]

In 2013, Gambaccini revealed he had been highlighted as a potential security risk by the BBC earlier in his career due to his sexuality.[15]

On 1 November 2013, it was reported that he had been arrested on suspicion of historical sexual offences as part of an investigation by Operation Yewtree in the United Kingdom. Gambaccini was released on bail and his spokesman said that he denied the allegations.[16] It was announced on 10 October 2014 that no charges would be brought.[17] Giving evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee on 3 March 2015, Gambaccini said he believed he was used as human "fly paper" to encourage other people to come forward and make allegations against him and that he had lost more than £200,000 in earnings and legal fees. The BBC reported that he also “said he suspected his bail was repeatedly extended until the end of high-profile cases involving other celebrities because police did not want juries to hear a former Radio 1 DJ had been cleared of sexual wrongdoing”. Gambaccini also argued in favour of a 28-day bail limit; Home SecretaryTheresa May had announced in December 2014 that she was consulting on such a limit in all but exceptional cases. However, Gambaccini’s allegations of a "witch-hunt" were denied by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).[18]

Gambaccini has been a supporter of gay-related charities. In 1995, he was named Philanthropist of the Year by the National Charity Fundraisers for his work on behalf of the Terrence Higgins Trust. He is a patron of the London Gay Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, he won an episode of celebrity Mastermind, with his chosen beneficiary charity being Stonewall.